As an aspiring weather presenter, Sabrina was keen to gain further experience on top of her studies.
"During my time at Reading, I co-founded an online weather page called ReadingUniWeather (RUWeather). My friends and I would present outdoor weather forecasts and upload them online for students to watch. I also wrote for the student newspaper, Spark, and helped set up weather forecasts on the student radio, Junction 11. In addition, I was given the opportunity to work on a paid project looking at wind turbine generation."
As a student on the MMet Meteorology and Climate with a Year in Oklahoma course, Sabrina spent her third year at the University of Oklahoma – an experience that she found very valuable.
"My year studying in Oklahoma – tornado alley – was amazing! Here I got to see my first tornado, learn about American culture and make lifelong friends. I was also fortunate to have several television internships and presented some forecasts on live television."
Established links with industry
The Department has long-established, excellent relationships with employers within the meteorological, climate and related sectors. Each year a student-led careers and networking day enables students to establish contacts within their chosen field.
It was here that Sabrina made an important connection.
"From the careers day I gained some work experience at a weather forecasting company called Meteogroup in London. Several months after this work experience I gained a full-time job and this really helped kick-start my forecasting career."
Lights, cameras, action
Sabrina joined BBC Wales in 2019 and is now presenting the weather to thousands of people each day.
"It's a great feeling to be back home communicating my forecasts to a large audience. I try to add how the weather will impact people into my forecasts. For example, I don't want to just say there is mist and fog... instead I would try to say that because there is mist and fog, this will reduce visibility and as a result people should take care and perhaps add some extra time to their journeys."
On what her daily routine normally involves, Sabrina says:
"The first thing I do on my shift is to analyse weather models. I then write a script for radio and build my TV graphics. When it comes to television, some may not be aware that I don't have an autocue, and that somebody is counting in my ear to give me timings.
I also frequently switch between the television and radio studios. When I am off-air I am usually checking the latest observations, so I have up-to-date information for my next set of bulletins."
Sabrina credits the Department of Meteorology at Reading for its "support and guidance" in helping her to reach these goals.
Find out more about our MMet Meteorology and Climate with a Year in Oklahoma course
